What this book covers

Chapter 1, Creating Maps with Leaflet, walks you through the basics of making maps in Leaflet.js. You start by creating an HTML file with the minimum JavaScript code required to display a map. You are going to learn how to select different basemaps and providers and different basemap formats. Then, you will learn how to display geographic features such as points, polylines, and polygons.

Chapter 2, Mapping GeoJSON Data, introduces you to a geographic version of the JSON data format. You will learn how to create your own GeoJSON data as well as consume data from other sources. In this chapter, you will learn how to style the data and iterate through features to add pop ups.

Chapter 3, Creating Heatmaps and Choropleth Maps, moves away from simply displaying points and towards displaying the significance or comparisons of the data. It builds on what you have learned so far and teaches you how to use different plugins to create heatmaps. You will also learn how to use your knowledge of styling GeoJSON to create choropleth maps.

Chapter 4, Creating Custom Markers, guides you through the customization of the markers you use in your maps. You will learn how to draw your own image or modify an existing image to use it as a marker in your map. You will be introduced to several plugins that offer premade markers that are customizable. Also, you will learn how to animate markers and combine plugins for added effects.

Chapter 5, ESRI in Leaflet, opens up the most commonly used data formats and server endpoints in mapping. This chapter will teach you how to load shapefiles in your maps. You will also learn how to connect to an ESRI server that has an exposed REST service. Using the ESRI-Leaflet plugin, you will learn how to geocode and reverse geocode addresses, filter data from a server, and query by location.

Chapter 6, Leaflet in Node.js, Python, and C#, expands on everything you have learned in order to teach you how to build applications in other frameworks and languages. This chapter teaches you how to build both the frontend and the backend. You will build servers in JavaScript and Python. You will be introduced to NoSQL databases and AJAX to display and update data without refreshing your web page. Lastly, you will learn how to create a Windows desktop application by embedding Leaflet in C#.